Shoe manufacture



1940- D. I. HASKELL SHOE MANUFACTURE I Filed Nov. 20, 1937 Patented Jan. 2,1940

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I 2.185.: snos murscruns David 1. men. Au usta, lhine Application nm 20. 1:31, Serial 11.. 115,111

. 2; Claims. (c1. lz-uz stiffness flows in large part from the inflexibility of the innersole to the shoe and from the fact that, as the sole of the shoe is flexed, the inner sole, being on the inside of the curve, is subjected to great crowding. In many instances it has been observed that theinner soles of the shoes under conditions of wear buckle and corrugate, thereby rendering the shoe quite uncomfortable after only a short time of wear. It is the object of the present invention to eliminate this tendency of '20 the inner sole to. corr'ugatc and buckle and thereby to greatly enhance the flexibility of the entire sole of i the shoe, and thereby increase the comfort" of the shoe and enhance its life.

The present" invention accomplishes this end 25 by so constructing a shoe that parts of the inner sole are permitted to have relative movement to each other during flexing and unflexing.= To accomplish the end of the present invention such relative movement need be so slight that it is not 30 at all felt by the foot. a

In the present embodiment of the invention such relative movement of the parts of the. inner sole is obtained by removing from the inner sole, which may be of any desired and suitable mate- 35 rial that is commonly employed in inner soles, a relatively small transverse portion thereof and substituting or inserting in lieu thereof a piece of i elastic material such as rubber, elastic webbing,

or any fabric which comprises rubber strands 40 or threads to render the same elastic, or

materials. h

' In the present embodiment of the invention the method of manufacture of the shoeis modifled in that the inner sole is applied to the last in 45 a straihed or stretched state or condition. This shoe is flexed, the tension in the elastic member serves to draw the adjacent parts toward each other and thereby prevent buckling of the inner sole, this also serving to assist in flexing the in-' her sole, thereby rendering the entire shoe, more 8 flexible.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the inner sole embodying the present invention; and

Fig. 2 is a section thereof on the line 2-2 10 of Fig. 1. v

The inner sole l0 consists of any suitable material such as leather or any of the materials or fabrics that are now commonly employed in the manufacture of such inner soles. It comprises the toe portion II and the main body portion 12 with theportion l3 of elastic material such as rubber or any other elastic fabric inserted between the'portions II and II. The edges of the three parts of the present inner sole are skived as shown at I4 and I! in Fig. 2. The portion i3 is preferably of the same thickness as the remainder of the inner sole and the edges thereof are skived along the same angle as the adjacent portions I i and II. The portion II is firmly attached to the portions ii and I 2 either by paste, glue, or any suitable adhesive II with or without the aid of heat and pressure, or the same may be attached by lines of stitching II, or both of these means of attachment maybe used simultane- 3o ously.

The inner sole II as shown in full lines in Fig.

1 isslightly shorter in over-all length than the normal'inner sole employed for the same size and style of shoe. In use the present inner sole when applied to the last is first tacked onto the last at II. The inner sole is then stretched so that it takes on the shape and size shown by dotted lines l9, and the inner sole is then again tacked to the lastby-tack 23. The operator in the factory 40 is obviously guided by the size and shape of the last bottom in the stretching operation. The inner sole is further tacked to the last bottom by tack 20 at the heel and sometimes also by tack II in the shank of the last. The all-over stretch 4.5 to which the inner sole is subjected need not be more than one-eighth or three-sixteenths of an inch. Dotted line 22 indicates the stretch of the elastic portion II. The elastic portion l3 need not be more than a half or three-quarters of an inch in its maximum width. On its narrow face, it should be about one-fourth or three-eighths of an inch and about twice that width on its wider face. The elastic portion i3 should preferably be inserted in the forepart of the ball portion of the r 11glnrgiersolesubstantiallyasshowninthe ciraw- -thatportionoranyportlonottheinnersole,and.

'Ihetwopartsoftheinnersolearethenjoined byastripotelasticmaterialwliichlsnan'ower inwldththantherenmvedportion. Hie diiierenceneednotbemorethananeighthoianinch. 'lheedgeaotcoursamaybeskivedasshownin the drawing.

4' Another method ofmanutaeturing the present innersole comprisesthestep ofpreparingacompoaitesheetorwebotmaterialwhichhastwo spacedstripsofordinaryinnersolematerlalsuch asleatherorfabricoranysuitableflhrousma- 'terialorthelikewhichareeommonly-employed andgmerally desirable forinnu'soles, andan intermediate stripotelasflcmateriaisuchas rubberoraiabriccomprlsingrnbberstrands oryarns. 'nieadjaoentedgesarepreierahly akivedandcementedtogetherbymethodswell knownintheart. Su'chshedsorwebsofmaterialmaythe nbeemplwediordiecuttingor dinkingwtanydmirednumberotinnersoles hastheomtmrrindicatediniulllinminl'ig. 1 hereimwhichcontouritahouldbenotuidoesnot correspmdtotheshapeoremtmrotthelast. Byvirtimhoweveaoltheelaatieportimtheinbestretchedtotheahapeandoontowotthe.

mfifflle last,or asshownbythe dotted lines Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. The method of making shoes which comprises supplying an innersole shorter than the last and having a transverse portion of elastic material disposed in the zone between its ball and toe portions and assembling said innersole on a-last comprising the steps of tacking the toe of said innersole on the last and in registry with the toe oi. the last, stretching said innersole to the length of the last and tacking the same to the last.

2. The'method oi making shoes which comprises supplying an innersole shorter than the last and having a transverse portion of elastic material disposed in the zone between its ball and toe portions and assembling said innersole on a last comprising the steps of tacking one part oi said innersole on the last and in registry with the last, stretching said innersole to the length of the last and tacking the same to the last.

3. The method of making shoes which con;- prises supplying an innersole shorter than the last and having a portion of elastic material and assembling said innersole on a last. comprising the steps of tacking one part of said innersole on the last, stretching said innersole to the length of the last and tacking the other part to the last.

4. The method of making shoes which comprises supplying a short innersole having. an elastic portion, amxing the same to a last bottom and concurrently tensiening and stretching the innersole to the length of the last, and thereafter lasting the upp r and securing it to the innersole.

5. The method of making shoes which com-- prises supplying a short and elastic innersole,

ailixing the same to a last bottom and concur ,theotherparttothelast.

8. The method of making shoes which comprises supplying a short expansible and contactibleinnersolaailixingthesametothelast bottom and concurrently tensioning and stretch- 'ingthesametothelengthcithelast.andthereaiterlastingtheupperandsecuririgittothe innersole.

DAVIDLHABKEIL. 

